Head Start braces for cuts

Loss of federal funds means fewer kids will be able to enroll

Mar. 20, 2013

Golden Head Start students play outside on Wednesday. Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation serves 1,570 children in its Head Start and Early Head Start programs located in 47 centers. / Valerie Mosley/News-Leader

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Two programs spared

Two of the seven programs administered by the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation are not expected to be affected by the loss of federal funds commonly referred to as “sequestration.” They are: Weatherization program — Crews insulate and repair homes to make them more energy efficient. This free service is available to homeowners or renters who qualify. OACAC officials said the program will receive no additional funding in 2013. As of March 18, there were 765 eligible households on the waiting list, making for an average wait time of 6-9 years. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program — Services include one-time payments to help with winter heating costs and utility assistance for eligible families. OACAC receives funding at the start of the year, so no cuts are expected.

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Fewer of the Ozarks’ neediest children will be able to enroll in Head Start next year.

There will be fewer slots available, fewer teaching jobs and fewer Head Start centers operated by the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation.

“It will affect the entire 10-county area program,” said Carl Rosenkranz, executive director of OACAC, a private not-for-profit corporation in southwest Missouri. “We have to determine where to make the cuts, what criteria we use and how best to serve the needs of the population.”

OACAC is bracing for a significant loss of federal funds, commonly referred to as “sequestration.” It is the result of automatic spending cuts triggered in early March when Congress failed to agree on budget terms.

Funding for five of the seven programs operated by OACAC is expected to drop by an average of five percent, though the cut for some may be slightly lower or higher. The biggest impact is expected to be in Head Start, which represents $11 million of OACAC’s $30 million budget.

Rosenkranz said with funding for Head Start expected to drop by $575,000 or more, OACAC will likely have to close four or five centers. Each center has one or more classrooms.

Currently, OACAC serves 1,570 children in its Head Start and Early Head Start programs located in 47 centers. The majority of those enrolled are age 4.

Jessica Moore had a son in Head Start and has a daughter in the program this year. She said the academic and social skills her children have learned will provide a strong foundation for kindergarten and beyond.

She said it’s “very unfortunate” that fewer children will be served next year.

“It would be a ripple effect, really,” she said. “... Eventually it impacts the community as a whole.”

Kimberly Shinn-Brown, director of the OACAC Head Start, met with center directors and key teachers the day the sequestration memo with preliminary funding information was released.

“Morale is a real concern,” Shinn-Brown said of the more than 400 employees. “We’re trying to be as proactive as we possibly can. We’re sharing information.”

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The problem is that few specifics are known right now.

OACAC was provided with estimates of the funding cuts for each program but is still waiting for exact details from the state and federal agencies that distribute to the regional not-for-profit.

“It’s very difficult to plan anything,” Rosenkranz said.

Further complicating matters is that the funding cycle for each OACAC program is slightly different. One might run on the calendar year while others start and stop based on the fiscal budget year.

Those cycles determine whether services and personnel will have to be cut right away or whether there is a little breathing room to plan. For example, the budget cycle for Head Start runs from October to September, so it is currently using its 2012 budget. The cuts would kick in when the new funding starts on Sept. 1.

Rosenkranz said he’s frustrated that while many lawmakers have expressed support for early childhood education and programs that help low-income families, they didn’t act to protect this funding.

He said OACAC has no choice but to absorb the funding drop.

“It’s a political game and we’re caught in the middle,” he said. “...The children, the families all suffer because of it. Yes, it’s here and we’ll deal with it, but we don’t agree with it.”

Four additional OACAC programs are expected to experience a federal funding cut. OACAC officials shared their best estimates based on what was known this week:

• Community Services Block Grant. Five percent cut expected. The 2013 funding for this grant was 75 percent of the amount for 2012.

• Foster Grandparent Program. A volunteer program for low-income seniors. Cut of 4 percent expected for new funding year, which starts April 1. Possibility of another cut.

• Family Planning Program. Offers reproductive health care for women. Five percent cut expected starting with the new funding year, which starts March 31.

• Housing. Rent subsidies for low-income households. Six percent cut in direct assistance expected to current funding year, which started Jan. 1. OACAC estimates it will have to serve 28 fewer families. The estimated cut to administration could be 18 percent.

The current waiting list for the 10-county area (excluding Springfield, which has its own housing authority) stands at 2,463. That translates to a typical wait of three or more years for assistance.